How should the District deal with an "at - risk" Unit?

[Bob White]

"*Since DEs live and die by the number of units in their district, I would think you should have no problem getting him to attend this meeting."

 

Growth in the number of units is just one element that a DE is evaluated on and is by no means a live or die factor.

[Eamonn]

Have to admit to feeling hurt by TwocubDad's comment.

The District and the Commissioners do not have magic wands. Nor do we have a team of adult leaders that will rush in and make things right. Some times all we have to offer is words of advise.

Before a new pack can be started or a dying pack saved there has to be people who want to start it or want to save it. These people must make starting or saving this pack a goal which they are going to stick with.

If this person or these people are not willing to do this. There is no point what so ever of even trying.

The District does have people who will advise and support the efforts of these people. They will not take over and start or run the unit.

Step by step here is what I would do.(After finding out how the unit was allowed to be in this state in the first place.)

1/ Send the DE in to meet with the Chartering Organization. The DE needs to know that this organization still wants to have a Cub Scout pack.At this meeting the DE could mention that the COR is not living up to expectations.

If the CO still wants to have a pack.

2/ Send the District Commissioner or Assistant District Commissioner Cub Scouts to meet with the CC, COR, and Cubmaster.

See who turns up. At this meeting outline how the selection of Adult Leaders works. Work with the people who did attend at coming up with a list of people that could form a Nominating Committee. Need about six people who will attend the meeting. Would include someone from the troop.

3/ Offer to send someone from the District to attend the first meeting of the Nominating committee. This District person could help with writing job descriptions and characteristics for the people that are needed.

Allow the people on the committee to brain storm and come up with a list of people who they think could do the job. Put these people in order -First choice, second choice..

4/ Have the DE pick up completed Adult apps. and take them to the Executive Officer for approval. Maybe the DE could ask if anything had been done about replacing the COR?

5/ Send the District Training Chairman to meet with the new leaders and committee members. Set up a date for training's

6/ Send in EMS Commissioner and new unit commissioner (The last one didn't do any good.) Arrange for some sort of recruiting drive and date of first meeting.

7/ Allow new leaders to run meeting under watchful eye of EMS Commissioner.

8/ Make sure everyone knows how to contact the Unit Commissioner and let the new people run with the program.

Eamonn.

[mk9750]

Thanks all for great replies. Let me reply (somewhat ramdomly) to many of the points:

 

I appreciate Eamonn's comments. They are what I was hoping to get (an explaination of what the District folks should do), and his list is just about what I thought they should do (What is an EMS Commissioner?). However, what Eamonn suggests is not even close to what has happened here so far. I wish it were.

 

I feel our Troop DOES have a responsiblity to help this unit. I think each of us has a responsiblity to help provide the opportunity for Scouting to every eleigble boy. It's easy to see this in a "micro" view, just looking at out Troop, but I think we each are asked to work in a "macro" sense, too. It's why when we are visited by potential new Scouts, we give each of them the list of other Troops in the area. We believe we have the best program in the area. But we know that our program may not line up with what a boy wants. Better he find what he is looking for in another Troop than not join Scouting all together.

 

My choice of the words "ill equipped" concerning the COR was inappropriate. The Men's Club of a Catholic Parish is our CO. The Men's Club mission is to promote athletics and other youth activities in the parish. And the way I stated that is how they view it. Athletics is king, and other things, like Scouts, get almost no real support from them. Our COR has almost no leverage with the Men's Club because we are not the football team or the basketball team. He's tried, and done his best. It isn't likely anyone else would do better.

 

Troopmom257's idea is almost the same as our plan. Our SM, one of the ASM's and I have identified four people who we think would be tremendous in th roles of Cubmaster and CC, if they agreed to take the jobs. One was me as CM, but I am not a member of the parish, and feel it would be inappropriate for me to take the job. One has no interest in going "back to" Cub Scouts without a son there. The other two have both been Den Leaders and Cubmasters. One is terrific at administrative stuff in our Troop, and I've approached him to consider taking the CC role if we need to implement our plan. The other made a heck of a lot better CM for the year in between the two years I had the job in another Pack than I did. He was great, and he is a parishioner in this church. He's also a member of the Men's Club. I've approached him to consider being the CM if we act. I asked to have an answer over this weekend, so that we can present a firm plan to the District folks.

 

As to the unit commisioner, sad to say he will be of no help, I believe. Rather than tell you stories to support why he appears to be ineffective, which he has been, he's also been MIA during all of the conversations about this. He won't be of much help.

 

The current Pack Committee will react one of two ways, we believe. They will either step aside or quit once people are willing to do the work for them, as they have not done it themselves, or they will see the potential of the unit with active leadership and pitch in and help. I think it will be the first. But one thing that I am certain is that these folks will not do it on their own. They either need a visable strong leader, or to be replaced.

 

CubsRgr8 is correct. I admit that one of the reasons we as a Troop have made this a priority is because we will soon begin to fail if we can't count on boys from within this parish to cross. We get a boy or two every year from other Packs, but over the last 4 years, we've had (I'm guessing) an average of 2 boys cross from our Pack, while we've had an average of 4 boys a year graduating out of the Troop. We've gone from 47 members to 23 in the last four years, and literally, we've had 5 guys total quit. We're dying by attrition, and the root cause is a lack of Cubs available in our "little brother" Pack to recruit. We want to do this for noble reasons, but the first motivation for our efforts was certainly selfish.

 

Thanks all for you great comments. Sorry my response is so long. I though I had overcome that deficiency.

 

Mark

[CubsRgr8]

live and die

I was engaging in a little exageration to make my point. I know several DEs and realize they are evaluated on many factors.

 

ineffective COR

If the COR sees the problem and is willing to act, that's all that's necessary to start revitalizing the pack. I don't see how the Men's Club lack of enthusiasm is a problem, unless some of the current pack leadership is reluctant to go and has friends in high places.

 

Cubmaster

I was cubmaster for two years at a RC parish, and while I did attend Notre Dame (Go Irish!), I'm not Catholic. I don't see how the specific denomination would be a problem. Especially since it is the COR (not the committee or the Men's Club) who approves the selection.

 

Men's Club

I seem to recall that in my RC archdiocese, scouting units are supposed to be chartered directly to the parish, with the parish priest as the organization executive. It might (or might not) help if this change were to be made.

 

recruiting

Okay, your troop is considered part of a specific RC parish. I'm willing to bet there are neighboring parishes that don't charter a troop. Find out and recruit from them - bulletin announcements, newsletter blurbs, fundraising after masses, etc. In general, the more the uniform is seen, the better for recruitment, especially when your plan includes some really fun stuff. And do the same stuff at your chartering parish, too!

 

long reponse

Nothing wrong with that, especially (my favorite word!) when it helps us better understand the situation so we can help you. Good luck!

 

[CubsRgr8]

mk9750 (and all other leaders of RC sponsered units) - check out:

http://www.nccs-bsa.org/index.php

 

This is the national website for the Catholic Committee on Scouting, chock full of useful stuff.(This message has been edited by CubsRgr8)

[evmori]

I just stumbled on this thread!

First of all, don't expect much real help from the district.

Not true. My district is a great help!

They may send in a commissioner who will be pleased to offer a great deal of advice but isn't going to get involved in the real work.

Again not true. Being a UC currently dealing with a Pack who has Cubs but lacks leadership I can tell you I am doing a lot to keep this Pack going.

Ultimately they are going to tell you "it isn't our unit" and leave it to the CO to straighten out.

WOW! Sounds like paper commissioners!

That's not much help if the CO/COR is a big part of the problem.

Usually, the COR is unaware there is a problem!

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10